Biomechanics may involve the study and analysis of human movement using through the laws of mechanics. Biomechanics is often employed to gain a better understanding of athletic performance to enhance performance and/or prevent injury.
A first method of observing and analyzing biomechanical motions includes in-person lessons from a coach or other like professional. However, it may be difficult for the coach to observe some biomechanical motions due to motions being performed at high speeds, motions being obfuscated by athlete clothing/uniforms, and/or errors due to human sensory capabilities or perceptions. A second method of observing and analyzing biomechanical motions includes video analysis of a professional biomechanical performance or a student's biomechanical performance. However, analysis of some biomechanical motions may require a frame-by-frame analysis of the video data, which may be difficult using typical video playback devices and/or may require costly video playback devices or systems.
A third method of observing and analyzing biomechanical motions includes capturing motion data from one or more sensors affixed to athletic equipment or on athlete's clothing. One drawback with this method is that it typically requires expensive and complex sensors that are developed for a predefined biomechanical motion (e.g., a specific sport). Another drawback of this method is that it may be difficult to analyze and/or visualize the captured motion data. Historically, the expense and complexity of sensors, and the difficult of analysis, required athletes to visit a motion capture laboratory to use motion capture systems for biomechanical analysis. Currently, biomechanical analysis using motion capture devices has become more viable as the size, costs and complexity of sensor manufacture is reduced. Even with the increased prevalence of motion capture devices, most sensor-based biomechanical analysis systems require the use of motion-specific sensors. Furthermore, many current sensor-based biomechanical analysis systems do not provide sufficient data visualization for proper analysis of biomechanical motions.